Isn't this pattern adorable? It's from the 1960s, but I think it looks pretty modern with the midriff band.


I spent pretty much the whole day making it up... this is a bit of a trial version to see if I liked how it fit, so I just used a quilting cotton. It's a bit *blue* now that it's done so I think when I make it for real I'll use at least two different colors. I feel like Grover wearing this version!


The ribbons on the top & bottom of the midriff band are some light blue velvet ribbon I had left over from outfits for Kate & Ana- I was hoping they would break up the blue a little bit.

I lined it in navy blue silk organza


I left off the neck facings & just understitched the neck seam. The armhole facings are handstitched down to the organza. I forgot how nice dresses feel when you use organza in the bodice... it just has a "weight" to it, even though it's very light and airy. One problem, though, is at the waist. I just turned up the organza at the bottom... so I think it twists around and flips out or something when I'm wearing it, and it can get very itchy. Argh! I'm going to have to figure out what's causing it, or my sister is going to be receiving a blue dress very soon. ;-)


Pattern envelope back. I like how they used to print the pattern shapes on the back with the line drawing!


Here's the hem... I first stitched 5/8" from the raw edge, and pressed it up, then stitched about an inch from the turned up edge and pressed up again, then hand stitched the part turned up. Quick and easy.



I wish the weekend was longer, as I bought some great fabrics in the garment district on Thursday & they're folded on the ironing board waiting to be sewn up. Elizabeth got a great "burnout" knit (not sure if it's really a burn out, but it's gorgeous in real life), which I was tempted by- but since I'd already bought several yards of black over at Spandex House I didn't get any. Anyway, if you read her post, I had to explain why I was buying trims with no swatches when we stopped at Pacific Trim. My mom has wonderful "color memory" and I either inherited it from her or she trained me well enough at the fabric store as a kid. ;-) I remembered that I'd written about it on my non-sewing blog a few years ago. The trim I was looking for when I wrote that post was for the little green and blue silk dresses I made for my nieces for their brother's christening. This is Ana in her dress:


And finally... I'm waiting for the grapes to ripen over at the farm. No purple ones yet.


Here's the grape arbor- my grandfather built it when my mom was a kid. The stray screens leaning against the fence in the back are waiting to be deployed to patch fence holes. The bunnies have been going crazy in the gardens this summer.